


Celebration

by starlight_and_seafire



Series: Damerey Week 2019 [8]
Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Modern AU, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-21
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-27 16:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,237
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21121643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlight_and_seafire/pseuds/starlight_and_seafire
Summary: She’s a Jedi.He’s a hotshot pilot.When these two convention goers meet, sparks fly. But the question is: will it last?





	Celebration

**Author's Note:**

> Day 8: Bonus Day: Necklace, Halloween AU, Celebration

“Careful, Rey!”

Rey just grins at Rose’s worried exclamation and continues to spin the lightsaber around. She doesn’t want to stop yet. She feels powerful with the weight of it in her hand.

“Don’t worry so much, Rose!” she shouts back, exhilaration running through her veins as she does a few more twirls and flourishes with it before executing a full-body spin and ending with the lightsaber pointing towards the crowd.

The crowd bursts into applause and Rey bows before walking over to where Rose stands with Finn.

Rose’s eyes are wide and mouth agape. Rey exchanges a quick look with Finn before grinning at her speechless friend.

“Rose? Are you okay?” Finn asks, poking her gently in the side.

“That was — that was — that was amazing!” Rose finally manages to eek out, voice high pitched with excitement. “Where did you learn to do that?”

“I had a little help here and there,” Rey says with a nonchalant shrug.

Rose points her finger at Rey. “You can keep your secrets for now, missy, but I’ll get it out of you eventually.”

Rey laughs and is about to retort, but before she can a tiny redheaded child in a flowing white gown runs up to her, her curly hair braided in twin buns just above her ears. She’s trailed closely by a handsome man clad in a bright orange flight suit.

“That was so cool! Where did you learn how to do that? Could you teach me? That would be so cool!”

Rey kneels down before the child, her smiling face revealing a missing front tooth. The little girl couldn’t be more adorable if she tried. “Princess Leia, it is an honor to finally meet you in person.”

Before she can say anything else, the girl excitedly asks, “Can I see your lightsaber? Oh! Can I hold it? I promise I’ll be careful. Please?”

Rey pulls out her lightsaber and hands it to the girl. It’s the _pièce de résistance_ of her outfit, and she had scrimped and saved from her already meager budget to pay for it. It’s her pride and joy. But she can’t resist the possibility of seeing sheer delight illuminate this young child’s face . . . plus, for some inexplicable reason she can’t quite put her finger on, she knows this child will treat it with respect.

Her trust pays off, and she watches the girl’s eyes widen with excitement as she examines the hilt and hefts the weight of it in her hand.

The girl’s eyes take on a hazy, faraway look, and Rey knows that she’s imagining herself in a galaxy far, far away. After all, it’s the same thing that had happened to Rey the first time she had held a lightsaber, too.

“Thank you for that,” the man in orange says. “Princess Leia is her particular favorite, but she also loves the Jedi. She likes to imagine that Leia got trained as one by Luke after the end of Return of the Jedi.”

“To be honest, so do I,” Rey says, grinning at the man. She never really thought of the typical Rebellion flight suit as attractive, but there’s something about the way his broad shoulders look in it that she approves of entirely. With his dark curly hair and stubbled jawline, she thinks he’s easily the most attractive Rebellion pilot she’s ever seen.

And she’s including Han Solo in that assessment.

“Poe Dameron?”

Rey looks over her shoulder to see Finn, a smile pulling at his lips, staring at the man in front of her.

To her amazement, the man’s eyes widen as he practically shouts, “Finn!”

The two men come together in a hug, clapping each other heartedly on the back for several long moments.

When they finally part, Finn sees the looks of confusion on the faces of the two women. “Remember how I came as a stormtrooper last year and I was telling you about how that group of Darth Vader wannabes had me surrounded trying to get me to join in on that dark side group photo while I was trying to hurry to that panel? This is the guy that saved me!”

“Almost didn’t recognize you without the white armor, buddy!”

“Figured I’d try something new this year,” Finn replied. “Wanted to be one of the good guys, ya know? Anyway, let me introduce you to my fellow light side crew! This Rebellion mechanic here is my girlfriend Rose, best person I know to fix your ship! And the Jedi is Rey and—”

“And she can kick the Sith’s ass!”

“Beatrice!” Poe just barely manages to stifle his laughter at the young girl who was standing a few feet away still swinging the lightsaber. “Language.”

“Sorry,” she says, voice apologetic, before exclaiming, “she can kick the Sith’s butt!”

The adults laugh even as she returns to trying out different stances with the lightsaber. “And that, clearly, is Beatrice.”

“You can call me BB!” she shouts over her shoulder.

“And I’m Poe.”

“It’s good to meet you Poe,” Rose says, while Rey murmurs her agreement.

A few minutes later and the small rag-tag group was heading away from the crowds to scrounge up food before the next panel. They found a food truck outside and settled in a patch of shade with their prizes before hungrily diving in.

The group sits in a semi-circle of sorts, Finn and Rose to one side of Rey, while Poe and BB round out the other side. BB, who had been chatting a mile a minute on the walk over, quieted down, preoccupied with her french fries and the costumed crowds milling about, while Finn and Rose began looking over the schedule again for what must have been the twelfth time that day. So Rey talks with Poe and finds herself falling easily into conversation with him, and he has her sides aching with laughter soon into their lunch. It’s rare that she warms up to people so easily, but there’s something about this man that causes her to instinctively trust him.

He holds out his hand to her after their lunch break is over and she takes it as he helps her to her feet.

He smiles at her a little shyly and it takes her a moment to realize that she’s just continuing to stand in front of him, still holding his hand. She drops it and feels her cheeks heat, but he just continues to smile at her.

She can’t help it. She smiles back.

***

The next morning they meet up with Poe and BB once more, Finn eagerly running ahead, excited to see his friend again. When Rey and Rose catch up, they’re surrounded by a small group of Rebellion pilots who are clearly with Poe.

Poe smiles at her as he notices her approaching, and she wonders if it’s just her imagination or whether that smile is different, whether there’s something sweeter, something _more_, in it, as he looks at her.

She knows it’s not her imagination when her heart speeds up a little in response, and she gives herself a little mental shake, reminding herself that she’s just met him, that she needs to get it together.

But then she’s busy shaking hands as she and Rose are introduced to the group of Rebellion pilots. Soon enough, everyone’s discussed their plans for the day and they get ready to break apart to attend the various sessions.

Snap and Karé head to a panel about one of the animated series, BB tagging along with them and their child, a spunky 10 year old who’s unusually tall for his age and dressed as a droid.

The rest of the group split off in different directions, and Finn and Rose head for a session on cosplay, waving at Poe and Rey as they leave.

Rey and Poe walk off in the opposite direction, ostensibly to attend a panel by one of the book authors, which they had discovered they shared a mutual love for the previous day as they huddled together between sessions.

Halfway there, their footsteps slow down, both dawdling before they even get to the panel.

Poe asks if she’d like to take a walk instead.

Hours later, they sit down to dinner with their friends, the children talking a mile a minute, while Rose asks her how their author’s panel was and what else they had seen that day.

Rey could feel the heat rise to her cheeks as she manages to stammer out some vague reply. It’s not like they had done anything other than talk, sitting close together in the shade of the building in their own little bubble removed from the rest of the convention. But still, there was something simmering just beneath the surface, something she wanted to keep just to herself for now.

Judging by the grin on Rose’s face, she was less than successful.

***

It seems like every time she and Poe wander the convention halls together, people come up to them with pleading smiles and their camera’s ready.

Together, the Jedi and the Pilot pose for pictures, microseconds of their time at the convention caught forever in data files.

She spies more than a few that end up online.

She saves them all to her phone.

***

In a jam-packed room, they can’t help but join in on the excitement as they watch the actors come out on stage and wave at the screaming crowds.

Poe takes her hand in his.

Or maybe she takes his.

Either way, they don’t let go anytime soon.

***

That evening, while their little group wanders amongst the crowds who’ve left the convention to check out Galaxy’s Edge, Poe takes her hand again.

That makes it easy to pull him away from their friends until they’re hidden away beneath the Millennium Falcon, secluded just enough from the crowd to almost make it seem like they’re alone together in a galaxy far, far away.

She leans forward and kisses him.

He kisses back and she swears she feels sparks flying.

***

Finn and Rose wait in the taxi for her as she says her goodbyes to Poe and BB.

She knows she’ll see them again soon, but they live several hours away from each other.

She knows the distance could be worse, but it still hurts.

She had scrimped and saved just to afford the tickets to Celebration. Her job doesn’t pay much, but she knows she can do it again to visit them.

And when Poe promises to visit soon, BB nodding eagerly beside him, she believes him.

When the three of them finally hug goodbye, all of them holding back tears, her only conciliation is that she feels like they’re in this together.

She’ll see them again soon. She knows it.

***

The sound of R2-D2 coming from her phone alerts her to an incoming text message. She groans. It’s way too early for that. She had spent the prior evening staying up way too late talking to Poe on the phone.

The thought of their conversation brings a smile to her face and gives her just enough energy to reach for her phone.

It’s a text from Poe.

_Good morning, sunshine!_

Suddenly she’s wide awake and eager to continue their conversation.

_Sunshine? _she texts back.

_Yeah, get it? Cause you’re my *Rey* of Sunshine._

She buries her head in the pillow briefly, her smile so wide at the term of endearment (and the slightly possessive use of “my” that sends a thrill right through her) that her cheeks ache with it.

Her fingers tap across the screen.

_Nerd. What a dad joke. :p_

_You’ve got me there,_ he texts back, and then, a second later, _Sunshine ;)_

She thinks she can hear his laughter even though they’re so far apart.

She wishes she could hear it for real.

***

Poe sends her a picture of him and BB, the little girl once again in her Princess Leia costume and now missing two of her front teeth as she smiles widely for the camera. Poe stands next to her, also in costume, no less the dashing pilot with his jaw of stubble and his curls a little longer and wilder than they were just a few months ago at the convention. She misses his smile and the silkiness of his hair and the rough scrape of stubble under her fingers.

She misses _him_.

Poe and BB stand in a pumpkin patch outside of what looks to be a Halloween festival for the small rural town the two live in.

She thinks his smile is a little sad. She wonders if he misses her too.

She has a friend take a photo of her, Finn, and Rose in their Halloween costumes. The party rages on behind them, and they strike their fiercest poses, but her heart isn’t quite in it.

She wonders if he’ll see it in her smile too.

***

The next weekend Poe flies in, surprising her with the help of Finn and Rose. Her two friends giggle when she opens the front door of her apartment to see a smiling Poe on the other side, a bouquet of wildflowers clasped in his hands.

She’s not ashamed to admit that she practically squealed in delight before throwing her arms around him.

Not that she particularly remembers that shout, but Rose showed her the video of it on her phone later.

The surprise of it — both the visit itself and her friend recording the moment without her knowledge — doesn’t actually bother her.

She does kick them out though, Finn’s laughter and Rose’s exclamations of “Get it, girl!” trailing behind them as they go.

She waves them away before shutting the door behind them and turns to face Poe, the two of them blissfully alone.

She has more important things on her mind now, and she curls her arms around his neck and pulls him close.

***

Rey and BB have been talking almost as much as Rey and Poe. The young girl eagerly clamors for attention when she sees her father Facetiming Rey late in the evening, their conversations becoming more and more frequent occurrences. BB practically springs over to the couch to sit in her father’s lap and pepper Rey with questions and chat excitedly about her day. When she begins to doze off, Poe will carry her to bed.

Rey has gotten used to BB asking for bedtime stories. She’s even bought a stack of books just to read to her.

The resulting smile from Poe keeps her warm long into the chilly fall night.

***

She receives a turkey, pieced together from colored construction paper, in the shape of BB’s hand that Thanksgiving.

She hangs it on her fridge. It never fails to make her smile.

***

When Poe had asked her to come to his family’s Christmas celebration, she was unsure. But the moment she sees Poe waiting for her at the airport, all hesitation flies right out the window. She runs to him, giggling as he scoops her up in his arms and spins her around.

The laughter ends when he kisses her, but her head continues to spin.

She never wants this feeling to fade.

***

She meets Kes Dameron that evening. Even if Poe hadn’t introduced him as such, the man was clearly Poe’s father, with the same eyes and broad shoulders, although his hair clearly had a little more gray sprinkled in than his son’s.

As Kes holds out his hand to her, she sees that he and Poe even share the same warm smile, and she can’t help but return it as she shakes his hand.

It turns out the entire extended Dameron family is like that. When the family gathers the next evening for Christmas dinner, Kes stands on one side of her and Poe stands on the other and they whisper to her who each person is, even as that person inevitably comes over with a wide smile on their face to introduce themselves to her.

Everyone is friendly, warm, and welcoming. Rey thought being the new person might have made for an awkward evening for her, but it wasn’t, not at all . . . especially when BB excitedly tells the other children about Rey’s skills with a lightsaber and they beg for her to demonstrate it for them.

A gaggle of young children follow her onto Kes Dameron’s lawn where she twirls an older model lightsaber around (and she couldn’t help but smile that Kes just had one laying around, Poe wasn’t kidding about his family being huge fans). They hoot and holler and clap excitedly when she takes a bow at the end.

She grins and blushes at their reaction and looks up only to meet Poe’s eyes where he’s leaning against the doorway, his hands clapping right along in appreciation.

When the children shout at her to do it again, she can’t help but comply.

When they return to Poe’s home that evening (a long five-minute walk down a tree lined path to his house, she still can’t get over him having family so close by, it seems _amazing_) and BB is safely tucked away in her bed with their little dachshund Dio resting at the foot of it, she feels a pleasant exhaustion take over her body.

The evening, with all its new people and warm affection, had honestly been a little overwhelming, but in the best of ways.

She meets Poe’s eyes in the mirror as they stand at the sink brushing their teeth and grins around a mouthful of toothpaste suds.

He grins right back.

They curl up in bed facing each other, his arm slung over her waist holding her close. He falls asleep first. Despite her exhaustion, her mind isn’t ready to sleep. She pets a hand over his chest and along that silver necklace with its ring hanging from his neck. He had explained its significance to her the day she had first arrived. He had gone to place flowers at his mother’s grave and when he got back, with a faraway look in his eye, he told her how he still had pieces of her, how he had this ring — her wedding ring — that he’s saved to one day give to the right partner.

Rey wishes she could’ve met Shara Bey, wishes she could have met this woman who even decades after her death still inspires such love and loyalty in her family.

Her hand slows and then stills, resting just above Poe’s heart as she finally falls asleep.

***

She has to fly back home that evening, but first, she lets BB cajole her into playing “Star Wars” again.

(She expected this to happen. It’s why she had her costume with her. BB had brought the idea up in every conversation they had once they knew Rey was coming for Christmas.)

Rey’s once more dressed as a Jedi and BB is in her Princess Leia outfit and together they play in the field on the edge of the forest. Rey teaches BB a few tricks with the lightsaber, Rey using her own while BB holds the one Kes had loaned Rey just a few days before.

Kes joins them for a while, and he and Poe are both a little overenthusiastic taking photos of the two. But she’s grateful for both of them, especially Kes for when he takes over while Poe joins in on the play.

It was hard getting on that plane to return but opening her email to see all those pictures of her and BB and Poe dressed up and enjoying the day soothes the pain somewhat, even as it reminds her of what she left behind.

There’s a picture of BB and Rey hugging on the edge of the tree lined forest. She can’t help but print it out and hang it in her apartment.

It makes her smile even as it makes her heart ache.

***

Valentine’s Day coincides with the weekend of her local comic con.

Poe drives in and together they dress up and head to the convention with Finn and Rose.

Once again crowds of people mill about and ask to take their picture and they happily comply.

Once more she’s asked to show off her prowess with the lightsaber and she does, always excited to demonstrate her hard-won skills.

She’s so focused on her moves, however, that she’s unsure exactly how the handoff happened. But as she takes her final bow while applause fills the air around her, Poe steps up to her and hands her a bouquet of wildflowers, their stems wrapped up in a lightsaber hilt.

The applause grows even louder and she thinks she hears more than a few sighs coming from the crowd.

She’s a little distracted though. She’s too busy kissing him.

Those pictures went viral.

***

They celebrate alone on Valentine’s evening.

She thoroughly thanks him for the flowers.

***

She drives to Poe’s town the weekend of their spring festival.

This time she’s the one to present Poe with a bouquet of flowers, the oranges and whites coming together in a bright and colorful cloud of color.

Not as bright as Poe’s smile, however, or the color his cheeks turn when she gives him the bouquet.

He thoroughly thanks her for the flowers later.

***

Poe is supposed to drive in to visit her, but BB comes down with a summer cold. When Poe tries to apologize, she just dismisses his attempt. Of course he has to be with his daughter.

The only thing is, she wishes she could be there for BB, too.

She briefly considers flying in or driving up herself, but she’s scheduled at the shop all weekend, and she needs the money. She relies on the meager paycheck to pay her rent and for her food, all in an effort to stay in her little town.

A thought rattles around her brain, like it has so often these last several months. This was the place she was born. This has always been her home despite all the pain and hardship she’s been through here.

Still, she talks to BB that evening, tells her a story as they watch each other through their laptops, and desperately wishes she could be there.

She manages not to cry until she hangs up.

***

Rose gets a job designing airplane parts. It’s a huge step up and a dream of Rose’s that’s finally coming true. They decide to celebrate, toasting with champagne and binging on junk food as they start a movie marathon to commemorate one of their final weekends together.

For Rose’s new job is several hours away. Rey will visit, of course she will. That’s never been in doubt.

But Rose’s new job in the city means that Rose is now closer to Poe than Rey is, just about half an hour away from him. It’s nice that her friends are living their dreams and will be living closer together, but Rey can’t help but wonder, with her friends leaving their small town, and Poe living several hours away . . .

What’s keeping her here?

***

In his darkened bedroom, Rey whispers to Poe that she wants to be closer to him. That she’s thinking of maybe moving. After all, her entire family is in the area now.

It takes her a moment to realize that while she’s always considered Finn and Rose her family, now Poe and BB and Kes are included in that group too.

He brings her hands to his mouth and presses a kiss to the back of them.

Yes, they’re her family, she thinks to herself.

And she wants them near her always.

***

She flies in an extra day early to Celebration, leaving Finn and Rose to join her when they come in the following day.

In the meantime, she dashes down the concourse until she gets to baggage claim and runs into the waiting arms of Poe.

He spins her around just as he’s done every single time they’ve met up and she laughs delightedly from the moment he picks her up until the moment their lips meet.

He had arrived only shortly before she had, and once her bag comes around, they make their way to the taxi and then to their waiting hotel room.

Tomorrow they’ll join their friends as they prepare to celebrate their favorite film franchise.

But today is just for them.

***

They don’t leave their room — they barely even leave their bed — until Finn and Rose arrive at the hotel the next morning. Shortly thereafter, she sees a familiar older gentleman enter the lobby doors and seconds later a giggling redheaded girl is throwing herself into Rey’s waiting arms.

It’s only been a couple of months since she’s seen them last, but it is still one of the sweetest reunions she’s ever experienced.

After discreetly wiping at her eyes, she manages to speak again, telling Kes, “I’m so happy you could come this year.”

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world,” Kes replies, clapping a wide-eyed Poe on the shoulder. There’s a look that passes between the two men that Rey can’t quite decipher, at least until Kes says, “His mother was a huge fan. She was the first one to show me the films. This . . . this means a lot.”

She’s heard a lot about Shara Bey from Poe. She’s never met her, never had the chance to, not with the woman dying so young, but Rey’s pretty sure she loves her.

How could she not?

BB takes her hand and Rey follows the little girl as they head for their block of rooms. She may never have met the legendary woman, but the rest of her family is pretty phenomenal.

***

The convention passes by in a blur. There’s panels and autographs and more than a few pictures that she and Poe and BB take together by other convention goers enchanted by their costumes.

Rey’s a Jedi once more, her costume updated with her own twist, switching the more typical brown robes for an outfit that is tailored and gleaming white. Her life is filled with light and everything seems so _good_ that she couldn’t help but try to reflect that in her costume.

Poe’s in his orange flight suit once more. And while BB has worn her Princess Leia costume once so far, this particular day she chose something similar to Jedi robes, but like Rey, she shunned the typical neutral browns.

No, BB chose a white base, much like Rey’s own, but with bright orange fabric belted over top. When Poe told her of BB’s plans to incorporate both their costumes into her own, well . . .

Well, Rey cried. She’s not ashamed to admit it.

And once more she scrolls through social media hashtags to find and save those pictures others took of her and her loves.

Poe helps her, too. He’s sent her a few she hadn’t seen, both from this year and the previous one. Apparently she’s not the only one who treasures these memories.

But that evening, as they head to Galaxy’s Edge, she thinks Poe seems . . . not distant, exactly, but maybe a little preoccupied. Once more they’re amongst all their friends, Snap and Karé and their child leading the way along with a handful of other Rebellion pilots. Kes is talking to Finn and Rose, and none of them seem to be paying attention to Poe.

She bumps his shoulder gently with hers, and his smile is as beautiful as ever, but there’s something on his mind, causing that little worry line to appear on his forehead.

When Poe takes her hand in one of his while holding on to BB with the other, she rubs her thumb along his knuckles, hoping to soothe whatever’s on his mind.

By the time they get inside the park, the mood is almost celebratory, electric with excitement. There’s more Jedi and Sith, Stormtroopers and Rebellion soldiers, Ewoks and Jawas then she could shake a stick at, and the air seems to be practically glowing from all the lightsabers.

But when Poe whispers in her ear that he’d like to talk to her, she doesn’t hesitate in following him, leaving BB with Kes and the rest of their little group.

Once more they end up in a secluded spot near the Millennium Falcon and she knows she’s not the only one caught up in memories as he leans in to kiss her.

When they part, he stays close, barely any space between them, and starts speaking.

“This is the place we first kissed,” he says, the words soft, a tinge of awe coloring his words. “It felt like the first day of my life. Every moment with you, it’s felt like everything I ever wanted and more.” His hand comes up to cradle her cheek and he says, “A year ago we had our first kiss, but I want all of your kisses, every day for the rest of our lives.”

He slips a hand into his pocket, pulls out a ring she’s only ever seen on a chain around his neck, and asks, “Will you marry me?”

She’s smiling widely before he even finishes asking the question, and she nods, her mouth forming the words “Yes” over and over again. She can’t help it — she’s never felt so much joy in her life.

He throws his arms around her and kisses her and they sway back and forth together for several long moments before he pulls away, excitedly exclaiming, “The ring!”

She laughs, both of them so excited they had forgotten the last part of the process, and she holds out her hand for him to slip the ring on to her finger.

She doesn’t know how they managed to stay secluded for so long, but she’s grateful for it as she leans in to kiss him again.

And when they leave their spot behind to rejoin their friends, she’s grateful for Poe once again. She loves her friends, but there are certain moments she’d rather keep to herself, and a marriage proposal is one of them. But still, she can’t hide her joy, and when she meets Kes’s eyes, a smile breaks across his face and she knows he must have known what Poe had planned.

And then she looks toward Finn and Rose and she smiles at them, sees the glimmer of tears appear in Finn’s eyes as he smiles back at her while Rose’s hand comes up to cover her mouth in delight.

Rose must have made a noise, as Karé leans over and places her hand on Rose’s shoulder and asks her, “Are you alright?”

Rose just nods while Karé looks at her confused.

After exchanging a glance with Poe, Rey decides to alleviate the confusion and without further preamble announces, “We’re getting married!”

Suddenly everyone’s eyes turn to Rey and in mere seconds she and Poe are swept up in hugs, while shouted congratulations come from the crowds wandering about, the news quickly spreading around the area near the Falcon.

Soon enough her friends are taking pictures of her and Poe with BB eagerly joining in and she can’t stop smiling, can’t stop the joy and happiness that fills her and surrounds her in this moment, during this celebration of her and Poe’s engagement, because she knows it’s so much more than just a question and a ring.

It’s a promise of love. It’s a promise of family.

And what better thing to celebrate.


End file.
